Every WCC basketball team’s biggest nonconference game in 2024-25 season

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's aren't the only WCC teams who have NCAA Tournament aspirations this season

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

As the opening night of the 2024-25 college basketball season sits less than eight weeks away, a majority of Division I programs have finalized their nonconference schedules.

While anticipation builds for the new campaign, some of the excitement could be tampered with a quick look at the week one slate. There aren’t many matchups that jump off the screen, as most of the high-profile games are reserved for Feast Week and beyond as players and coaches spend much of the early part of the season tinkering with lineups and plays before the rigors of conference play start in December.

That’s especially true given the historic amount of player movement and coaching change the sport went through this past offseason. Not to mention, conference realignment has taken away some opportunities at the top 25 matchups in November and December because some leagues have had to add games to their regular season schedule to accommodate more members.

The West Coast Conference did exactly that after it brought Oregon State and Washington State into the mix as affiliate members, which means the 11 schools will each play 18 games instead of 16 this season.

Gonzaga men’s basketball head coach Mark Few noted how the WCC’s expansion impacted his program’s ability to schedule, though the Bulldogs still managed to get some marquee programs on the docket for the 2024-25 season.

Here is a look at every WCC team’s most important nonleague game this season.

GONZAGA: VS. UCONN; MADISON SQUARE GARDEN (DEC. 14)

Mark Few and the Bulldogs face another daunting nonconference slate riddled with high-profile matchups to be held at numerous neutral site venues this season.

The full 2024-25 schedule has yet to be confirmed, though as of now there are three games against teams ranked inside Bart Torvik’s Top 25, all at neutral sites: UConn (No. 12), Baylor (No. 14) and Kentucky (No. 23). Depending on how the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket shakes out, the Bulldogs will tip-off with a matchup against West Virginia followed by a date with either Indiana or Louisville, while a potential meeting with Arizona and Tommy Lloyd looms on day three. There’s a pair of notable on-campus games against Arizona State (home, Nov. 10) and San Diego State (Nov. 18) to look forward to as well.

The game to circle, though, is the one against Dan Hurley and the Huskies at the World’s Most Famous Arena. 

“It’s the back-to-back champions in UConn; you’re playing in New York City, the bright lights of Madison Square Garden,” former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau said. “You’ll already have some big-time challenges from it looks like Baylor, Arizona State, that Atlantis tournament; you’ll already have some really good tests so … that Dec. 14 game might be the one I’m looking forward to the most.”

SAINT MARY’S: VS. BOISE STATE; IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO (DEC. 14)

The Gaels’ nonleague schedule indicates Randy Bennett wants a chance at another top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament this season. For that to come to fruition, however, Saint Mary’s will need to capitalize on the few games it has away from home in November and December. 

A neutral site game against Nebraska, coming off a postseason berth, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (Nov. 17) and the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs, California, (Nov. 28-29) highlight the team’s November slate. The only true road on the schedule is at Utah (Dec. 7). Conversely, Saint Mary’s has eight home games, yet just one (vs. Utah State, Dec. 22) is against a team that’s ranked in the top 100 on Torvik.

That puts extra emphasis on the Dec. 14 game against Boise State in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Broncos, coming off the program’s third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, rank 67th on Torvik and return potentially the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year favorite in Tyson Degenhart, along with all-conference selection O’Mar Stanley. 

Last season’s loss to the Broncos preceded a stretch of 21 wins in the ensuing 22 games for the Gaels. As the final test will be away from home for about a month, the next matchup with Boise State should once again be a crucial one for Bennett and company.  

SANTA CLARA: VS. BRADLEY; HENDERSON, NEVADA (DEC. 14)

Herb Sendek and the Broncos coaching staff put together a nonleague schedule that’s filled with potential resume-building wins. Right off the bat, back-to-back neutral site games against Saint Louis (Sioux Falls, Nov. 4) and Arizona State (Las Vegas, Nov. 8) open the season for Santa Clara, which will also take on Nevada (Nov. 16) in a true road game before the Acrisure Invitational (Nov. 28-29) in Palm Springs. There, the Broncos will face a new-look TCU squad and either Colorado State or Washington the following day.

The most important game on the schedule for Sendek’s experienced group, however, might be against the Missouri Valley Conference favorite, Bradley, on a neutral site court in the middle of December, two weeks before WCC play tips off. Bradley coach Brian Wardle lost his leading scorer Connor Hickman and the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in Malevy Leons, though he did bring back Duke Deen and Darius Hannah for another ride. Deen was Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s pick to win the MVC Player of the Year this season.

If Santa Clara even sniffs an at-large bid this season, it’ll be because it beat experienced teams like Bradley away from home.

SAN FRANCISCO: VS. CLEMSON; SUNSHINE SLAM (NOV. 25)

The Dons didn’t take advantage of the few notable nonleague opportunities the team had to put together an at-large resume last season. San Francisco lost all three games it played against nonconference foes that finished in the top 100 of KenPom, though Chris Gerlufsen and the coaching staff put together a more challenging schedule together as Gerlufsen enters his third year at the helm of the program. 

The Sunshine Slam, which tips off with a matchup against Clemson, should provide a worthy test early on in the season for the Dons. The Tigers are No. 46 on Torvik and returned a majority of the starters from last season’s Elite Eight team.

San Francisco also hosts Boise State (Nov. 9) and Saint Louis (Dec. 5) notably. It’ll also be on the road at Bradley (Dec. 18) and has a neutral site game against Memphis (Nov. 21) at the Chase Center.

WASHINGTON STATE: @ NEVADA (DEC. 2)

The Cougars’ nonconference schedule features two neutral site dates against Iowa (Moline, Illinois, Nov. 15) and Boise State (Idaho Central Arena, Dec. 7) as well as the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert, California (Nov. 26-27). What it doesn’t have much of, however, is true road games; WSU will face a hostile crowd twice this season when it’s on the road at Nevada (Dec. 2) and Washington (Dec. 18).

While the Apple Cup holds nostalgic value for many, the matchup with the Wolf Pack might prove to be a bigger test for the Cougars this season. Steve Alford’s squad features seven players who are 22 years or older, as Nick Davidson headlines an experienced group that should be competitive in Mountain West play this season.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: @ SAINT LOUIS (NOV. 16)

It’s hard to peg a team’s second game of the season as it's most important on the schedule, though the matchup with Robbie Avila and the Billikens could provide some early momentum for Stan Johnson’s group if it can come out of Saint Louis with a victory.

The Billikens cracked Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s top 25 to start the season in large part because of the coach/player combo in Avila and Josh Schertz. Together, the two led Indiana State to 32 wins and the NIT semifinals after being robbed of a spot in the NCAA Tournament field. 

Schertz also convinced Saint Louis’ best returner, Gibson Jimerson, to return for a fifth year and brought over Isaiah Swope from Indiana State as well. The Billikens are ranked No. 109 on Torvik.

LMU is also on the road at Colorado State (Dec. 4) before it returns home to host Nevada (Dec. 7).

OREGON STATE: DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC (DEC. 22-25)

Wayne Tinkle’s program hasn’t won a game in an MTE over the past three seasons. Needless to say, the Beavers could build some much-needed momentum before WCC play begins with a strong showing at the Diamond Head Classic, which will tip off from Honolulu, Hawaii, with a matchup against Charleston (Dec. 22). 

The next day, OSU could see either Loyola Chicago or Oakland — two mid-major schools that have enjoyed NCAA Tournament success as of late. 

The Beavers also face North Texas (Nov. 25) on the road and will play Oregon at some point in the season.

PORTLAND: @ OREGON (NOV. 12)

Shantay Legans’ young squad will have an early opportunity to face a power conference opponent when it sees in-state rival Oregon on Nov. 12. The Ducks return a handful of key pieces from last season’s NCAA Tournament squad, including Jackson Shelstad, Jadrian Tracey and Kwame Evans Jr, and added TJ Bamba via the transfer portal.

PACIFIC: @ UNLV (DEC. 14)

The Tigers’ nonleague schedule in the first year of the Dave Smart era sure is an interesting one, as Pacific will play two non-Division-I schools in its first three games, followed by back-to-back road games at Arkansas and Missouri just two weeks later. It’ll also have consecutive road games at Colorado (Dec. 2) and Illinois State (Dec. 7) before a pivotal game against UNLV in Henderson, Nevada (Dec. 14).

It’s actually quite the slate for a team that went 6-26 a year ago, though the Tigers look vastly different already under the legendary Canadian basketball coach. With a much-improved roster, there’s only one way for Pacific to go in 2024-25. A win over UNLV on a neutral site court would build a lot of momentum for Pacific going into WCC action.

SAN DIEGO: VS. GRAND CANYON; WEST COAST HOOPS SHOWCASE (DEC. 28)

Steve Lavin’s program will get an early look at a future WCC foe when it heads to Inglewood, California, for a matchup against Grand Canyon at the Intuit Dome in late December. The Toreros-Lopes game coincides with a high-profile game between Gonzaga and UCLA, which should provide some solid exposure for San Diego.  

Grand Canyon, coming off its second straight postseason appearance, will look to compete for the Western Athletic Conference title after returning the league’s player of the year, Tyon Grant-Foster, along with three other starters from last season’s 30-win squad.

San Diego is also on the road at Arizona State on Dec. 3.

PEPPERDINE: ARIZONA TIP-OFF (NOV. 29-30)

It’ll take some time before Ed Schilling and the Waves are in a position to compete for one of the top spots in the WCC standings, as the first-year head coach spent the entire offseason rebuilding the roster from scratch.

The Arizona Tip-Off provides an opportunity for Schilling’s team to build some kind of momentum for the future. The MTE tips off with a matchup against New Mexico State on Nov. 29.